Landscape is a term that is widely used in archaeology and in cultural heritage management. However the meaning attached to the term is extremely variable. In this paper we consider some of the ways in which it is used and illustrate how a closer consideration of the term can allow the concept to become a more powerful way of approaching the past, both in research and interpretation. Landscape is highly context dependent, and is strongly bound up in perception. As such it can be used to examine the worldviews of the past, and to help modern populations better understand archaeological remains.